Excavator bucket



c. F. YOCUM ExcAvAwoR BUCKET Filed sepi.

April 14, 1931.

dum nu* G Patented Apr. 14, 1931 Unirse sraras PATENT orricr. *1

CHARLES F. YOCUM, OF FINDLAY, OHIO, ASSIGNOR TO THE BUCKEYE` r".IRACLION DITCHER COMPANY, OF FNDLAY, OHIO, A CORPORATION OF OHIO i EXCAVATOR BUCKET Application filed September 19, 1930. Serial No. 482,996.

This invention relates to excavator buckets of the open bottom type commonly used in connection with trench digging machines and having a plurality of laterally spaced fingers projecting inwardly and rearwardly from the rear edge thereof to assist in retain ing a load in the bucket while moving from digging to dumping position.

In the use of buckets of this character, the rear fingers thereof, which have heretofore been rigidly attached at their inner ends to the buckets, are subjected to very hard usage, particularly when operated in stony soil, and are repeatedly bent and frequently broken off by the forcing of stones and other hard matter therebetween during the digging and cleaning operations.

The object of the invention is to attach the rear fingers to a bucket in such manner that they are permitted to have limited relative transverse movements as stones or the like are forced therebetween, the permanent bending of the fingers out of effective shape and the breaking of the same being` thereby avoided, and the expense incident to correcting such bending or breaking eliminated.

Other objects and advantages of the invention will be apparent from the following detailed description, and while the invention is capable of different modifications, one embodiment thereof is illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in which,-

Figure lis a fragmentary side elevation of an excavator wheel with a bucket embodying the invention attached thereto and with a part broken away; Fig. 2 is a cross-section of a rim portion of the wheel looking toward the forward end of a bucket attached thereto; Figs. 3 and l are detail views of the linger attaching means for the buckets, and Fig. 4i, in addition, shows the casting to which the fingers are secured as being separate from the steel plate forming the bucket body.

Referringto the drawings, l, l designate the two transversely spaced annular rim members customarily employed in excavator wheel construction, and 2 a bucket spanning the space between the rim members and rigidly attached thereto at its ends, as well understood in the art. The forward or cutting edge of the bucket may have the customary teeth 3 and the rear edge has the rod-like lingers 4 projecting inward and rearward therefrom in transversely spaced relation to serve as the means at the rear end of the bucket for retaining` a load therein during a portion of the movement of the excavating wheel, aswell understood inthe art. It will be understood that a `plurality of these buckets are provided in equidistantly spaced relation around the wheel. i.

In carrying out the featureof the invention, each finger or rod et, which is preferably of spring steel, has its inner endfmounted loosely in a socket 5 `provided in the rear edge portion of the bucketand is secured thereto by a single rivet or like member 6. The socketst are disposed lengthwise of the buckets and are open at the rear ends for the insertion of the lingers.` The looseness in `fit between the `fingers and` socket is pref;- erably only between the side edges thereof so `that the fingers are permitted to have limited pivotal movements transverse to the bucket about the rivets 6 as aXes and are held substantially rigid against movement in a plane lengthwise ofthe linger and parallel to the respective rivet axes.

In practice, especially when operating in stony soil, the fingers are preferably sufficient ly loose to have transversemovements at their ends of aboultone-half inchin' either direc* tion, from normal, thusV enabling two adjoinw ing fingers to separate approximately one inch at their ends. This enables stones which are considerably larger than thenormal space between the fingers to spread the lingers apart and pass therebetween without breaking the fingers or sopermanently bending the same as to lessen their efficiency and necessitate replacement or straightening. The customary cleaner fingers, not shown, `pass-between the lingers 4 and tend to normally maintain them in parallel relation.

In practice, the buckets 2 are usually made from steel plate and inasmuch as it would be 4difficult and expensive to form such plate .with the sockets 5 for receiving the lingers 4, these sockets are` preferably formed in a cast steel member thatgisset in incut 8 in 1 the rear edge of the plate material and integrally secured at its edge to the edge wall of such inout by welding, as indicated at 9.

It is apparent that I have provided a simple and Velicient form of attaching means for the rear lingers of excavator buckets which will permit such lingers to have relative transverse separating movements to enable stones and other hard articles, which are of greater size thanthe normal spaces between the iingers, to pass therebetween without imparting a permanent bend to the fingers or breaking the same, both of which very frequently occur where rigid ngers are used. This not only continues the efiicient working condition of the buckets, but saves the expense and labor incident to replacing broken and permanently bent lingers and also saves the time incident to replacing the same.

I wish it understood that the invention is not limited to any specific construction, ar-

scribed, having fingers projecting rearwardly and inwardly from its rear edge andconv nec-ted thereto for limited relative transverse movements.

2. A bucket of the class described, having lsigned my naine to this s eciication.

GHARL vS F.

lingers projecting inwardly and rearward-ly Y from its rear' edge vand pivoted thereto for limited relativemovements transverse tothe bucket. v A 3. A bucket of the class described, having lengthwise extending sockets in its rear edge,

:and fingers projecting from the rear edge of the buckets with their inner ends anchored in said sockets for limited relative movements transverse to the bucket. Y

4. A buc'ket of the class described, having lengthwise extending sockets in its rear edge portion, and Stingers projecting from the rear edge of the bucket and having their inner 'ends pivotally anchored in the sockets and of 'less width than the sockets to permit the 'fingers yto have limited relative pivotal movements transverse 'to the bucket.

"5. Inranexcavatorwheel, a bucket, fingers projecting inwardly and rearwardly from the 'izo rod-'like fingers proj ectinginwardly andrear'- wardly from the-rear edgeof the bucket 'and .having their ifrmer'ends projected into said 1 iso 

